Pictures of the Garden
See comments below:
The Seeds
Sweet Pea: Royal Wedding
- Full sun
- Plant in March or June
- 1/2 inch down
- 2-3 inches apart
- Start hollyhock seeds indoors in the fall
- Germinate the seeds in October or November and allow them to grow for a while and experience a winter
- seeds usually germinate in 1 to 2 weeks.
- Transplant the hollyhock seedlings into individual 4 to 6 inch (10 to 15 cm) pots if you started seeds in fall
- Full sun
- Plant them near a wall, tucked into a corner of fencing
- Space hollyhock plants 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm) apart.
- Cut the plants down to ground level and cover them with a layer of mulch for winter protection.
- When to plant: Spring and Summer
- How to grow: Sow 0.25in (0.5cm) deep in the flowering position. Keep moist and weed free. Thin plants to final spacing when large enough to handle. Remove dead heads to prolong flowering season.
Banquet Cosmos
- Sun exposure: Full sun
- If you want a head start, you can plant cosmos indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last spring frost in trays or pots with a good seed-starting mixture. Seedlings grow fast, so move them into 5-inch pots as soon as they're 3 or 4 inches tall.
- They can tolerate warm, dry weather.
- In order to prolong flowering, you should deadhead the plants (remove the dead/faded flowers).
- If you are growing cosmos from seeds, be mindful that it takes about 7 weeks to first bloom. After that, though, your flowers should continue to bloom until the next frost.
- germinate 1 week indoors
- 18-24 inches apart
- plant in spring
- Plant in spring- March
- partial shade
- keep in cool soil
- plant 1 inch apart
- cover 1/2 inch in soil
- fall planting
- plant early spring/ late fall
- start indoors
- 1-3 seeds per pod
- germinate 2 weeks
- plant in shady area
- start indoors 1-2 weeks
- full sun
- 15 cm apart
- 1 cm down
- don't plant indoors
- germinate 70-80 degrees F
- 1 inch deep
- 3 inches apart
- full sun
- plant in summer
- have a line connecting the plants
Tomorrow, Friday 2/21 @ 9:00 - working the dirt! Bring your shovel and rake if you have one.
ReplyDelete:)
Here is a brief recap of the events relevant to the Garden (Raised Bed Garden - RBG)
ReplyDelete**There are critters that have eaten up the green foliage off of the seedlings that were transported for hardening. We need to get to the bottom of this to find out which pests are eating the plants. Until then it has been suggested that we hold off on planting anything into the ground as they may be eaten by the pests. Suggested ideas would be to intermittently check in on the status of the plants. Especially at night when the critters are active due to their predators being asleep. Also, check underneath the leaves to make sure they are not hiding. Look out for deer (hoof prints on the ground), rats (any pellet droppings)
Seedlings
-seeds that have been placed in trays along the window sill. 1A Parsley Sweet Curly, 2A Basil/Sage Italian Aromatic, 1B Marigold Pinwheel, 2B Hollyhocks Black Waterman
-Also research needs to be conducted on the seeds acquired from the seed library. Info to look up includes: germination(indoor/outdoor; for how long?) how closely should they be planted, any special instructions, etc.
Garden Area
-As of 3/20/14 @ 10:30am M&O has delivered soil to the Garden; it will have to be dispersed into the beds and raked evenly removing all the big clumps.
-Access to to water; work in progress. The PVC pipes are in place; the next step is for them to be tapped into the existing system dedicated to M&O's nursery.
-A compost area will be built alongside the RBG and the fence.
-Peas and Beans (for beans; no need to dig a hole, just lay on soil and shower it with 1/8 in of soil) will be planted. To be planted in a trellis as part of the outdoor learning center.
-a bark/wood chip strip of material is to be laid along the border between RBG and MO's nursery. This will act as a barrier to help reduce the pests and bugs from crossing into the garden. Also, it would allow for access around the perimeter of the garden. *It maybe helpful to plant aromatic plants along the border to deter pests that may want to eat the plants. Garlic repels slugs/snails; Oregano, lavender, and rosemary also repel them, and many other bugs. Thanks Bego.
-Also if weeds Bego has introduced various methods we can take to keep them out. More to come.
Other associated projects
-an art project - artists needed to make signs to help identify the plants/vegetables in the ground. Also, to acknowledge and inform of the seed's origin both public and private donations. Ideally the signs would be made of durable material that would stand the outdoor elements.
- Cord Ozment (cozment@clpccd.org) will be conducting four half hour sessions regarding the installation and maintenance of a garden drip irrigation system. I believe dates and times are being discussed.
-The Guard shed will be moved towards the corner of the RBG (closest to the science class room buildings)
-an art project - build shelves for storage and paint the shed itself.
-Outdoor classroom project - build trellis for beans and cucumbers. The placement of the trellis will help distinguish the classroom portion of the garden.
- We have contacted two local nurseries who have donated to our cause here in Hayward (Grower's Choice - who donated 4 - 50 pod seed trays and Grove Way Bonsai - who donated 6pack and seed trays) Thank you for the donation!
More info to come.
Hello everyone, hope all is well. I would like to start off by thanking everyone who was able to help out this past Friday 3/21. The garden has taken its shape (still much more to do) and the current rain system making its way through our area is much needed not only for the state's water shortage/ drought but for our garden as well. The steady rain will hydrate the soil creating ideal conditions for us to transplant the tomatoes, peppers, and okra into the raised bed gardens. Below is a quick recap of Friday and new projects: (feel free to add/comment/suggest on any of the topics)
ReplyDeleteFriday 3/27 events
- the garden's central focal point has taken shape. Everyone should go out to take a look and let us know what you think.
-peas and beans have been planted along the fence closest to left field. Sticks are laid in place to keep them from being stepped on.
-two rows of lettuce and carrots have been planted in the raised bed garden adjacent to the M&O nursery. Sticks are also in place indicating where they are located.
to do out in the garden:
-we want to create a central focal point for the garden that will grab peoples attention. It has been suggested we place the bird bath front and center as you approach the area with some sunflowers right behind it as backdrop. thoughts?
-lumber has been donated for the outdoor classroom. (the lumber was moved underneath the tables in hopes of keeping it dry)
-come Thurs 3/27 if the weather permits the tomatoes, peppers, and okra can be transferred into the beds. Tomatoes should be planted at least halfway up the stock/stem pinching away any small stems to avoid from being buring them. Also a minimum of 2.5 ft to 3 ft distance apart is desirable for each tomato plant. As it has been suggested by Bego we plan use a tripod method to keep the plant upright and manageable, so please lookout for any spare bamboo or sturdy wood material to use.
Things to keep in mind when selecting a spot to place a plant into the soil:
-tomatoes and peppers require as much sun a possible.
-lettuce and leafy greens prefer partial shade
-beans and peas require a trellis or some sort as they are climbing plants.
-and plenty more not specified here, feel free to add.
to do in the classroom:
-a to do list for indoor and outdoor tasks regarding the garden can be posted up on the wall.
-Thanks to generous donations of seed trays and 6 packs we are able to germinate the seeds that need to start their life indoors. There is a bucket of soil, trays, 6 packs, and a bin containing seeds that need to be started. Once the trays are prepared they can be placed along the windowsill.
things to keep in mind:
-not all plants need to germinate indoors. The seeds have been categorized to indicate which ones need to be started indoors and which ones can be sown straight into the garden.
-beans, peas, lettuce, leafy greens, carrots are planted straight into the ground.
-most all flowers need to be started indoors.
*Prof. Lange is in contact with Dig Deep Farms an organization that travels around in a mobile greenhouse informing the public about plants and gardening. The plan is for them to visit our campus to give a brief lecture on gardening. A tentative date for them to visit us is Friday 4/25 (right after spring break) more info can be found on http://www.compassgreenproject.org *Stay tuned*
Jose, below I am putting a link to Tri-CED's online site, I hope this is of some help. Also I will try to meet and speak with Richard Villa who is a part of Union City council and also works with Tri-CED. So, Maybe he can be a lead to other resources.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tri-ced.org/
Thanks for advocating for P&P Naomi! Keep us posted.
DeleteCan't wait to harvest and taste the fruit of your labor?..You don't have to wait for the vegetables to grow, instead have some Purslane*.
ReplyDelete*Be careful when foraging for wild edible plants as some can be poisonous. Hairy-stemmed spurge is a poisonous plant that is similar in appearance to purslane.Hairy-stemmed spurge is distinguished by a milky sap, which can be seen if you squeeze the stem.*
More info below:
http://www.ediblewildfood.com/purslane.aspx
What's eating holes through the leaves of our bean plants?
ReplyDeleteWithout catching the culprits in the act is is very hard to identify a specific pest. One organic solution posted by rainbowgardener from the helpfulgardener forum is the following concoction comprised of aromatic/ spicy plants. (I was thinking we can omit the addition of non-detergent soap)
Try blending up onions, garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, tomato leaves if you have them, any aromatic herbs you have (mint, cinnamon, tarragon, basil, etc), leaves of mums or tansy if you have them, in water, with some salad oil to help it stick to the plant and just a few drops of non-detergent soap. Let it sit for awhile, then strain and spray on the plant. Totally harmless and edible (though not necessarily good tasting) for humans, but does a good job of repelling a whole lot of pests.
http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=74737
Have you encountered similar problems in the past or know of any alternative organic solutions? Please feel free to reply with comments or suggestions.
An excel spreadsheet has been created which contains a list of seeds available, plants in ground, and those waiting to be put in; is available on the Passion & Purpose google docs drive titled "P&PGarden.xls" or the following link:
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4R8zeC-xhjPLUpyS00wS2dFelE/edit?usp=docslist_api
Hello All,
ReplyDeleteCome join us tomorrow, Thursday May 22 at 6pm, to transplant the remaining plants which are still in pots/containers/seed trays/hanging around into the garden. This is a great opportunity to get the plants transplanted during the cool temperature of the evening into hydrated weed-free beds in order to increase their chance of survival. With finals week starting Friday May 23rd along with the festivities of the Memorial Day weekend upon us, some may find it difficult to attend in such short notice. I apologize for the late notice, but it would be for the plants benefit if they were transplanted sooner rather than later with the last week of school upon us and a two week hiatus before summer sesssion starts. Thank you for your consideration.
Who: Anyone willing and able to participate regardless of affiliation to P&P or Chabot College
What: Transplant remianing plants into garden
Where: In the garden, located beyond the outfield wall of the Women's softball field.
When: Tomorrow Thursday May 23rd from 6PM - 8PM (earlier or later if available)
Why: Before Memorial Day weekend,finals, 2 week hiatus, and starts of summer semester.
With just a bit of manual labor to get the plants into the soil they in turn will show their gratitude by doing what they know how to do best; grow, flourish, and provide for us all.
Contact me if you have any questions.
Jose Ortega
jrortega04@gmail.com